


(Oh god) I miss you too

by Velcro



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Child Abuse, Comfort Sex, Eventual Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Happy Ending, Hurt, Redemption, Romance, Sickfic, sick, they're both idiots in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-14 17:46:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16917420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velcro/pseuds/Velcro
Summary: Catra gets hurt during a battle and limps to a pond in the whispering woods. Deathly sick by the time Adora finds her, they'll have to face each other and work out what's really wrong between them before it's too late.





	1. Chapter 1: Deathbed

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly it was super late when I wrote this and idk what I was thinking for half of it but whatever, I'll post the next parts soon. Hope y'all enjoy lmao.

It was just another battle in some tiny village that really didn’t matter to Catra, what did matter was Adora or She-ra as she had become. Catra smirked as she watched Adora’s face fall when she noticed her sitting atop a tank. Catra’s muscles were buzzing already even though the battle hadn’t been about for that long. She had already received a few bruises and wound before Adora had arrived and she expected since she arrived that number would only grow. Perhaps Catra would bug her later but at that moment she desperately wished to smash or claw something. Life in the Horde without Adora was trivial and it made her want to claw her own face off. Scorpia and Entrapta were the only things that kept her sane, well relatively sane. Hordak’s approval meant so much yet so little, it was everything she had ever wanted to or everything she had thought she wanted. Shadow Weaver had belittled her and told her she was nothing since she had been taken in by the Horde; God how good it felt to swipe her job from right under her nose, to see the seething glare Shadow Weaver cast at her was everything and more. Yet without Adora around to share that victory, it felt futile and empty. Catra shook her head a little to rid herself of those thoughts. Adora left her. She acted surprised when she told Catra the Horde was hurting innocent people not even comprehending that the Horde and Shadow Weaver had been tearing away at Catra for years. Adora had been Catra’s everything, the one thing that made the Horde golden, and she had cast Catra out like some old broken toy. Catra was nothing to Adora anymore, if she had ever been. 

That was how it had been, Catra lost in her thoughts when she should have been focussing on the battle. One moment she was seething on top of a tank and the next an arrow had embedded itself in her shoulder. She gasped in pain and flew off the tank landing in a crumpled heap beside it. Her head slammed off the ground and immediately she felt feverish blood creep down her mask. Catra pulled herself under the tank to avoid any more arrows hitting her. Her ribs groaned in protest, it felt as if there were a monster trying to crawl out her ribcage. Dark spots swarmed in the sides of Catra’s vision as she watched the battle like a movie before her. Her head pounded like an earthquake smashing down the structures of her mind. Catra fought herself to keep her eyes open. Her eyes flickered shut slowly despite her efforts to stay awake and soon she blinked unconscious beneath the tank.

There were a few things Catra noticed as she woke up, the first being that she was still underneath the tank in the dirt. Crickets chirped around her, seemingly oblivious of the battle that had raged around them earlier. The sun had set and now a blanket of darkness wrapped around the battlefield. She noticed movements about the area a few people straggled about and upon closer inspection, she realized it was Adora herself and her dumb friends. A few others lingered around, they appeared to be helping civilians and hurt soldiers back to, Catra assumed, Brightmoon. She supposed they had won the battle, and secretly pondered if the Horde had actually stood a chance against She-ra and the ‘princess squad’. Catra snorted a bit as she tried to crawl out from under the abandoned tank making as little noise as possible. She dragged her shoulder, that still had the arrow sticking out of it. Catra gripped the end of the arrow and gasped as she ripped it out. Blood leaked from the wound and judging by the dirt surrounding it Catra guessed that it would get infected pretty soon. She grunted as she noticed the heart at the tip of the arrow matched that of Adora’s friend Bow. She shook her head in disapproval and pulled herself up on the side of the tank. Her bruised and battered body protested as she heaved her way back onto her feet. Catra stared for a second more at Adora, who was helping a scared child out from some wreckage. She wouldn’t want Catra back, especially not as useless as she had become after a single battle. The Horde wouldn’t want her either, she was a lost cause as she already felt the grip of a fever sprouted from her wound. She was toeing the edge of death, with no use anymore Catra limped into the Whispering Woods. She promised to herself internally not to face her death as a coward huddled beneath a tank. Nor in front of Hordak who would surely deem her past saving and kill her without a second glance. 

Catra had been walking for hours, dark circles had crawled beneath her eyes. She smirked as she reached a little pond. It would soothe the intense burning in her throat, if not the one in her shoulder. She crumpled into a heap beside the water and slumped into it. The cool water calmed the fire that had nested into her body. Catra sighed as exhaustion clawed at her, she dragged herself out of the pond and collapsed into the mud beside it. Catra gave up fighting the fatigue and closed her eyes ignoring the way her shoulder started smoldering again.

The next time Catra woke up she was even closer to death. Her throat had rubbed itself raw and her head was thrumming with an intense buzzing. Everything in Catra’s body was pulsating with an unbearable energy; from her ribcage and shoulder to her numbed legs everything was buzzing with heat. She coughed once or twice, which tore apart her inflamed throat. She grasped the muddy bank she laid on and pulled herself towards the cool relief of the pond. Her worn out muscles nearly gave out as she edged a few inches closer to the glimmering water. The water was magic as it rolled around her throat and calmed the intense feeling that surrounded her body. Her head pounded and she rested beside the pond once more. 

Catra’s eyes dragged open again. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen asleep again but it was dusk now, or maybe dawn she had no way of knowing. The fever had only enveloped her more. She could barely move her pummeling head towards the pond. As she drank the supposed magic water she noticed this time around the effects weren’t as staggering. The water had calmed the scorching in her throat but her head still quaked. Catra whimpered. She hadn’t even noticed, too caught up in her head’s rattling. The intense pain that tore away at her shoulder had numbed. She tried moving her arm. Nothing. Catra gulped, perhaps a quick death at the hands of Hordak really would surpass suffering beside some pond in the Whispering Woods. She expected the next time she nodded off would be the last. Fearful of her death even though she vowed not to be Catra fought sleep. Drowsiness clawed at the edges of her vision and crawled in through her ears. She could only focus on staying awake. Hours ticked away, or it felt like it, as Catra fought her instincts. She would not die here, she couldn’t. 

All at once loud voices drifted into her sensitive ears. Twigs snapping and the cheerful sounds of laughs lulled her off her thought process. She couldn’t make out their words, far too incoherent even for her. The footsteps crashing around her, becoming louder with each thump. Closer and closer they sounded. Catra held her breath. They skidded to a halt just as they tore through the underbrush surrounding her pond. Catra’s eyes lazily drifted up towards whoever had found her on her deathbed. Expecting to see only the grim reaper Catra could not say she was pleasantly surprised when instead the whiny brat that had taken Adora in when she defected stood before her. The sparkly kid looked as astonished to see Catra as she felt seeing her. Glimmer’s eyes narrowed at Catra and she called out in a steady voice.  
“Uhhh Bow, Adora?” Glimmer gulped, “Hurry up there’s something here you should probably see.”  
Soon two other pairs of stomps followed Glimmer’s down the trail to the pond. Bow came through first, his jaw dropping as he saw a bloody and battered Catra slumped in the mud. Finally, Adora burst through the snapped bushes and gasped as she saw Catra. Her eyes widened and a worried look immediately covered her previously surprised one.

“Hey Adora,” Catra croaked out, her throat tearing itself apart again from the words.

Catra didn’t bother listening to what Adora or her friends had to say. Finally, she gave in to the temptation of an everlasting rest, or what appeared as everlasting. Adora would take care of her, that she knew, and in the case she didn’t take care of her; well that was a world Catra wouldn’t want to live in any way.


	2. Chapter 2: Brightmoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I wrote this super late again so sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Hope y'all enjoy I kinda tried to make their fight angsty but I can't write angst it makes me too sad lmao. Don't worry next chapter they'll probably have all their shit worked out. Although knowing me I'll decide to make 7000 plot changes before I'm finished this so anyway just enjoy this pls

Adora’s chest felt like it was collapsing upon itself every time she looked across the room to where her enemy rested. Seeing Catra so close to death had aroused something in her that she couldn’t ignore. As annoying as she was Adora didn’t ever want to see anything bad happen to her. Catra had passed out as soon as she had arrived. For a second after watching her eyes flutter closed Adora could have sworn she died. Never had she run so fast, especially towards her enemy. Adora thanked the gods for Glimmer and her teleporting abilities or she worried Catra would have died beside the muddy pond. Although she wasn’t much better in Brightmoon. Queen Angella, with much reluctance, had summoned their best healer to aid Catra but even he said there was only a small chance she’d survive. The fever she’d run up combined with the infected arrow wound and a few broken bones had pushed Catra to the edge of life. Adora hadn’t left her side since there were so many things she still needed to say but she had no idea how to. As they had left things, Adora thought Catra hated her.

She moved her head towards Catra’s bed again and held her breath. Her body was curled up with her limp tail coiled around Adora’s outstretched hand. She looked so frail, although Adora would never say such to her, Catra would have her head. How long she’d been suffering beside the pond Adora could only guess. Charcoal circles had gathered under Catra’s eyes even though she seldom awoke. She was not the same when she did either. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. The healer always rushed Adora out of the room when Catra was awake anyway, barking about how she had eat and drink before she passed out again. Adora huffed a breath of frustrated air, Catra was supposed to be the stronger of the two. If not stronger, stubborner. She couldn’t just die like this, Adora wouldn’t let her. 

She felt the hair along Catra’s tail stiffen a little and she looked up to meet the black and brown eyes of her best friend turned enemy, “Catra?”

The edges of Catra’s mouth upturned a little and she coughed a chest tearing cough before gently responding, “Hey Adora.”  
“Feeling better?” Adora questioned, tilting her head a bit.

“Not really,” Catra lisped, “I mean the beds an upgrade from mud.”

Adora smiled a bit at her roughed up friend and sighed, “I should probably get the healer since you’re awake. Feel better, hey?” 

Catra nodded and watched Adora leave with cloudy eyes. Adora pulled her head away and focused on what she was supposed to be doing, staring at Catra wouldn’t help her, what would, however, is getting the healer. She turned a corner and knocked on the healer’s door. A few seconds passed before his scruffy face popped out of.

“She’s awake again, hey?” He mumbled and yawned.

“Yeah, although if you don’t hurry I’m sure she won't be for much longer,” Adora grumbled.

The healer nodded his head and set off in the direction of Catra’s room. Adora slumped her shoulders down and headed towards her own room. She was no help to anyone this exhausted. With Catra sick she’d already taken more time off from being She-Ra than she liked. Glimmer and Bow were so obviously worried about her it made her exasperated, after all, she wasn’t the one who had come so close to death. She supposed they saw little more than an enemy in Catra. For all the things they had forced out of Adora about the Horde, she had only mentioned Catra a few times. Thinking of Catra hurt. Before Adora left Catra had been her best friend, the only person in the Horde who had truly understood Adora. Or she thought Catra had, the utterly betrayed look that had concealed Catra’s face still haunted her. How was she okay with what the Horde was doing? If she knew it was so wrong why didn’t she just leave? Brightmoon and the rebellion may not have been perfect but it beat the strict rules and regulations of the Horde by miles. Adora and Catra were a team, and even more than that they were best friends. They looked out for each other, cheering the other one up when they felt down, and celebrating victories together. They had covered for each other when Shadow Weaver was on either’s case and protected each other from her harsh punishments. Why Catra couldn’t just follow Adora to the rebellion and stop being some Horde pawn she felt she could never understand. Catra had never been the best student, far too lazy and hard headed for that, but since Adora had left her rank in the Horde had only been growing. Perhaps, Adora mused, Catra was jealous. Adora shook her head, that didn’t make sense at all. Catra had always been fine with Adora being the golden child, or at least she never said anything about it. Adora was just confused on what went on in her former friend’s head. 

Adora stumbled down the hall, barely watching where she was going. She nearly crashed into the short healer, “Oh, Adora, it’s you!” He smiled, “Catra’s feeling a bit better, she’s asking for you if you want to see her, hurry though knowing her she’s already back asleep.”

Adora nodded and continued down the hall with a much brisker pace. This was the first time Catra had enough energy to ask for anything. She nearly slammed the doors open as she arrived back in the little room they had fashioned into a med bay, “Catra?”

Catra’s ear pivoted towards Adora and her head popped up a little, she smiled, “Hey could you pass me that water bottle?”

Adora shook her head and passed Catra the water bottle she had pointed at and took a seat, “The healer said you’re feeling better.”

Catra untwisted the cap and dragged her head towards Adora, “Yeah a little bit, I’m still sorta out of it though.”

“Well I’m glad, seeing you that sick was horrible,” Adora murmured.

“You say that like you actually care,” Catra grumbled and took a swig of her water.

Adora’s head perked up and her jaw dropped a little, “Uh? Of course, I care Catra! Why else do you think I’d bring you back to Brightmoon for? You’re my best friend.”  
“Oh don’t forget Adora, you left me in the Horde to go play ‘princesses’ with your sparkly friends,” Catra hissed, “Besides even in the Horde I was always just your dumb shadow, second place always.”

“Catra I didn’t leave you in the Horde! I asked you to come with me, you stayed,” Adora defended herself, “I didn’t mean for you to be my shadow anyways, you never tried hard enough to be anything else. Shadow Weaver praised me because I worked hard enough to earn it.”

“Oh put a sock in you insufferable brat. I worked plenty when I was younger and yet still Shadow Weaver always chose you. She doesn’t know shit and apparently neither do you, Adora, I took her spot as Hordak’s second anyways and believe me I worked to get there,” Catra spat, angrily throwing her water bottle to the floor.

“You really think the Horde will take you back after you just disappear for a few weeks and come back looking fine. Hordak will kill you. So stop fighting me and go to sleep you idiot,” Adora huffed and got up from her chair, storming towards the door.

“Go play with your princess pals Adora,” Catra hissed, “That’s where you belong anyways.”

“At least I belong somewhere,” Adora shouted as she slammed the door shut.

She marched towards her room and collapsed on her bed, tears already stinging her eyes. They had both changed, there was no denying that. The question Adora had was would they be able to get through it. She slipped beneath her sheets and rested her head on her fluffy pillow. Did she even want Catra back though, after all, she had Glimmer, Bow, and all the other princesses now. As she drifted off into a dreamless sleep she tried to fill the Catra sized hole in her heart with anything else.


End file.
